You did everything right. So why does it feel like this?
For professionals 10 to 15 years in who've stopped getting what they need from their work, and want to work out what's next before the world of work decides for them.
Who it's for
You're probably in your 40s. You might have kids, a mortgage, a life you've built carefully. Your job isn't a dead end, which almost makes it harder to admit it's draining you.
If you've been quietly wondering whether a career change at 40 is realistic, or whether it's just burnout talking, you're in the right place.
What's changed
School, then a job, then a few job changes until you retire. That model held for decades. It's coming apart.
AI is making some roles obsolete quickly, and some already are. Work is moving toward people operating more like small businesses, offering what they're good at project by project.
That isn't a reason to panic. It's a reason to take stock, deliberately, while you still have the room to choose.
Where we start
Even in a job you've outgrown, there's usually something that lights you up. It might only be 1% of your week: a kind of problem, a type of conversation, a moment where you think "this is what I'm good at."
That 1% is the starting point. We take it seriously, look at what's underneath it, and work out how to grow it into a direction.
How it works
Four pieces of work, done properly.
What have you actually done in your career? What are you genuinely good at? We get it out of your head and onto the table.
Identify what still gives you energy, then work out how to expand it into something you could build on.
Work-life balance, money, meaning, family. Figure out the questions worth asking yourself, and answer them honestly.
Understand how AI is changing your field and how to use it to your advantage, without the doom and gloom.
The approach is modeled on how I prepared for a major cycling challenge. You don't get there on motivation. You pick a clear goal, set an anchor you keep coming back to, and train toward it week by week. Career change works the same way.
[Optional: one or two sentences on the cycling challenge]
About me
I spent more than ten years running a business unit with full P&L ownership, managing large teams, and leading people through difficult organizational change.
I did what I was supposed to do, and at some point it stopped giving me what I needed. I'm working through my own reinvention right now, so I'm not going to pretend I have all the answers. What I do have is a structured way to work through the questions, and the experience to know which ones matter.
What I believe
Seasoned professionals are better positioned for the new world of work than people just out of school. You just need help seeing that, and acting on it.
Working together
I'm finalizing the details. If this sounds like you, get in touch and we'll talk about what would help.
[1:1 sessions / fixed-length program / both: to be confirmed]
[Pricing to be confirmed]
Questions
No. Someone in their 40s has 10 to 15 years of real experience: judgment, relationships, and a track record of getting things done. As work shifts toward project-based roles, that experience is worth more, not less. What's usually missing isn't time, it's a clear direction.
Start by taking stock of what you've actually done and what you're genuinely good at. Then look for the part of your current work that still gives you energy, even if it's only 1% of your week. That's the thread to pull on.
Some roles are changing quickly and some tasks are already being automated. The more useful question is which parts of your work AI will take over, which parts become more valuable, and how you can use AI to your advantage. That's something to work through for your specific field, without panic.
Not necessarily. For many people, the first step is growing the part of their work they care about, inside their current role or alongside it. The point is to make deliberate choices, not dramatic ones.
It's not designed for people just starting out or close to retirement. It's also not for anyone looking for someone to hand them the answer. This is structured work, and you do the thinking.
Yes. I work with clients globally.
Get in touch
No pitch and no pressure. Tell me a little about where you are, and we'll see whether working together makes sense.
Or write to hello@thesecondclimb.net